Aftermath
by GoldenShinyWireofHope
Summary: Story of events prior to FF7 and immediately following Crisis Core. Focuses on the response of Cloud, the Turks and SOLDIER to events at the end of Crisis Core. No pairings intended except unrequited Cissnei/Zack.
1. Chapter 1

Kunsel's was shaking when he stepped out of the inn. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands as his fist clenched in a vain attempt to contain his frustration. _How could he have let them do this? _Nearly a year he'd been following the militia's movements, only to have the company send him away at the crucial moment. It was such an obvious move, and he hadn't even thought of it.

Still, he wasn't completely beaten; Shinra had grossly underestimated the number of people involved in this. There had been about half a dozen SOLDIER deployments that morning, some legitimate, some… well, Kunsel refused to believe Shinra was so pushed for staff that they'd had to send second classes to perform routine mako reactor inspection checks.

Every mission was to be fronted by a man who had shared a 2nd class barracks with operative Zack Fair seven years ago. But there were far more people interested in this than Shinra realised. 3rd classes who had idolised Zack during his time at SOLDIER, 2nds who barely knew Zack but respected his integrity and optimistic attitude, and those like Kunsel who had fought alongside Zack, and had now reached the point of fighting the company itself to save their friend.

For almost a year now, people had banded together, called in favours, built up contacts, and passed on every scrap of information they could gather about two fugitives from Nibelheim. Nibelheim… the town in which Kunsel's friend had been "killed in action" almost five years ago whilst fixing a Mako reactor. Anyone who knew Zack knew he wasn't one to go down easily, and as a final mission the Nibelheim excursion couldn't have seemed more mundane. No one was quite sure exactly what had happened back then, but there were plenty of people at SOLDIER who were inclined doubt the official Shinra explanation.

It hadn't taken long for him to hear about the army's deployment: five maybe ten minutes after the troops had left Midgar. And it wasn't long until he realised that most of Zack's closest friends had been conveniently despatched on missions and assignments that would take them as far away from Midgar as Shinra could manage with a few hours notice.

It was sickening.

But Shinra had made a mistake in posting Kunsel with 2nd Class Luxiére Moreau. Shinra had no reason at all to connect Luxiére with Zack, but then, Shinra had no comprehension of Zack's influence within SOLDIER. Luxiére was naïve, but he would do anything to ensure Zack's safety, and once he'd been convinced that the situation couldn't be manipulated to gain their own promotions, as well as Zack's reprieve, he'd been prepared to accept whatever Kunsel suggested.

Whether the third classes who had accompanied the mission could be persuaded to ignore the departure of their mission leader was another matter. Perhaps blackmail and threats could be employed, or simply the promise of favours; it was a valuable thing to have the higher classes as allies. Either way, it was Luxiére's problem now. Kunsel had other things to worry about. With the support he had garnered amongst SOLDIER, it was hardly surprising that someone would notice such a large military deployment, but to find out where they were heading… that would need a member of the infantry.

* * *

Somewhere above the hills surrounding Midgar, a Shinra company helicopter swerved sharply away from its planned course.

"What're you…" And in a second, Reno saw what his comrade had noticed before him. "Oh. I guess they got there first, huh?"

They swooped in to get a closer look. It was quite a scene. Broken armour and weapons were strewn abandoned across the whole stretch of hillside, and the entire area was just littered with the corpses of Shinra infantrymen.

Reno gave a low whistle. "Lot of destruction for a couple a guys. I reckon someone's going to be pretty pissed."

Reno reached for the tannoy, but as if on cue, Cissnei's voice rang out through the speaker system. "Point 235 is clear. Anything at your side?"

Reno sighed and hit the tannoy button. "Yeah, Cissnei. The army have been here."

Silence.

Reno frowned. "Cissnei?"

At last the response came through, "Have you seen the targets?"

"No but there's no chance they survived this. There was a whole army against them. Besides, it'd take forever to find them amongst all these bodies."

"You need to check Reno. If they've escaped somehow they could still be out there, waiting to be ambushed by another platoon." Cissnei's tone was steely.

"Yeah but…"

"_Check." _

Reno shot Rude a look of frustration as they closed further in toward the scattered bodies. It was a terrible sight. Blood and mud and rain had run together on the ground making the once dry and dirty hill look like a marshland. And everywhere they looked were corpses. These were not clean kills like those delivered by the Turks, from a single gunshot or a snap to the neck. Each man was strewn with bullets wounds and gashes. They were battered and bloodied and twisted to reflect their final anguish. This was not an image of the subtlety of the Turks or the finesse of SOLDIER; this was a warfield.

They rounded the peak of the hill. Reno inhaled sharply. The battlefield extended right round the other side of the hill, and here, too, the ground was crowded with the bodies of fallen men.

"Geez. If they did escape, doesn't look like there'd be a platoon _left _to ambush them."

"Look" Rude grunted, pointing out into the chaos. A single black uniform lay amongst the throng of blue.

Reno grinned, "Gotta admire your eyesight man." He reached for the tannoy. "Alright Cissnei, we've found our guy. We were right: he didn't get away."

Once again, the line was quiet. When Cissnei finally did respond, her voice was shaky. "A…are you sure he's dead?"

"Cissnei, he got about twenty bullet holes in his chest" Reno snapped.

A thought struck Cissnei. Her heart began to race with a distant and sudden hope. "There were two fugitives."

"The other was an infantryman. Come on, Cissnei, what do you want us to do, start pulling the helmets off these guys."

"He's wearing a First Class uniform. If… if you've found the wrong one..."

"It's the genuine SOLDIER" Rude interjected. "I recognise him."

There was an almost imperceptible noise on the other end of the line. Reno frowned. "Cissnei?.... Cissnei!"

Only silence.

Frustrated, Reno reached for the tannoy once more. "Look Cissnei, we're going back. There's no way that grunt could have survived this, and he's not a threat to the company anyway. I'm calling Tseng. Head back to base."

"That's an order." Rude contributed.

Reno shot Rude an irritated look as they sped off towards Midgar. "That girl needs to get her head together" he complained, but even for the two of them, there was something deeply unpleasant about Shinra fighting Shinra.

Eventually, Reno reached for his phone. "I guess I gotta make a call" he sighed, punching numbers into his PHS.

"Reno" Tseng's voice greeted him on the other end of the line. "What's your status?"

"Mission failed. Sorry sir. The army's been here already."

Another silence. What was wrong with everyone today???

"Okay. Head back to headquarters" came Tseng's response at last.

"On our way."

"I assume we'll need clean up?"

"Yeah" Reno answered, thinking back to the battlefield. "Rain'll wash away most of the blood, but there's a lot of weapons and stuff that'll need taking care of."

"Of course" Tseng replied. "Go back to the headquarters and get some rest. Needless to say, I don't want a report on this one, and I'll be asking you to lead the clean up operation tomorrow morning. You'll find it easier once the bodies have gone."

"But sir…" Reno began; the prospect of wading through the battlefield in the early morning didn't much appeal to him.

"I'll make sure you have assistance from the Shinra army. But I need someone there to make sure that company standards are upheld. You will set off first thing tomorrow. In the meantime I want you to call Cissnei and tell her I have a job for her."

"Yes sir" replied Reno, deciding not to argue. Shutting the phone, he turned to Rude, annoyed. "I'm so sick of SOLDIER. About damn time they started dealing with their own problems."


	2. Chapter 2

Kunsel scowled in frustration as another vehicle sped off in the opposite direction, kicking up dirt and stones in its wake. How on _earth_ Zack had managed to get from Gongaga to Midgar this way? Hitchhiking was obviously not one of Kunsel's strengths. He'd been here for far too long and everyone had either been travelling in the opposite direction, or unwilling to even stop in the first place.

Infuriated, he pounded against the rock face. He didn't have _time _for this! It had been two hours since he'd learnt of the army's mobilisation. There was no way to know how far they'd have to travel or how long it would take them to find Zack. They were pursuing him right now. For all Kunsel knew he could be….

"No!"

Kunsel cried out to anyone prepared to hear. Clenching his teeth he beat harder and harder into the rock until finally, exhausted, he crumpled against the boulder, head in hands. Blood began to trickle from his now skinned knuckles, leaving a sticky trail down Kunsel's forearm. He barely noticed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sky over Midgar had begun to clear as a young man made his faltering way towards the city. The path to Midgar was not a long one, but to Cloud, who now stumbled along the dirt track, it seemed to stretch out forever.

He was thoroughly exhausted, physically and emotionally. His legs protested at each new step and his right arm ached from the weight of the burden that he dragged behind him. More than that though, was the exhaustion he felt internally. It seemed to stretch out from his chest into every nerve in his body.

He felt as if he should scream or weep or cry out at the injustice of it all. But he had neither the energy nor the perseverance. After all, what difference would it make? Everything had been decided for him before he'd even had the strength to intervene. He gripped more tightly to the hilt of the sword, as if it could somehow resurrect a shadow of its former owner.

There'd not been many people in Cloud's life who'd thought him worthy of their interest. Zack had. He'd cared about Cloud's opinions; he'd valued his aspirations. Zack had told Cloud that he would succeed in SOLDIER, and Cloud had almost believed him. Zack hadn't shifted uncomfortably; he hadn't looked to the ground; he didn't say it out of politeness, or to spare Cloud's feelings. Zack didn't doubt for a second that Cloud was destined for greatness. He'd made Cloud feel as if he could accomplish something. And it wasn't a familiar sensation.

Cloud bit his lip as tears streamed unbidden down his face. _This just wasn't right! _He shouldn't be the one to walk away. Zack was the hero. Zack was the one who would charge into battle at a moment's notice, who would champion anyone and everyone's cause. Cloud wasn't _supposed _to be that person. He couldn't be. And if he ever was then it would be with Zack at his side, somehow convincing him he had something to offer.

_Things weren't meant to be this way! _He wasn't a SOLDIER. He wasn't a hero. But still that voice rung and rung through his mind…

"_You are my living legacy… You are my living legacy…"_

Hell, he didn't even know what he was doing! Where could he go? Back to Midgar? Midgar was the place of Shinra; it was the place of the army and SOLDIER. It was where Cloud lived and where he worked, where he'd thought his future would be. But that was before he'd woken up.

No, it was before Nibelheim. Before he'd seen everyone he cared a damn about dead or dying at the hands of the man he'd admired more than anyone in the world. And it was before he'd seen his best friend, his only friend if he was honest, riddled with bullets, Shinra bullets, shot by from Shinra rifles, just like the ones he'd held himself.

Cloud felt sick. No. Midgar was not a place for him anymore. But there nor was there anywhere else to go. So he kept on walking.

But that memory refused to stop playing in his head.

_You are my living legacy._

* * *

Cissnei had taken her time her time in making her way to Tseng's office, high up the stairs in the Turks HQ. She'd wanted to be completely sure that Rude had Reno had left for their own quarters. Now she sat, hunched over in a chair in the office of her superior, red blotches patchworked around her eyes as Tseng regarded her intently.

"I can understand your feelings" he said at length. "But I can't pretend I'm not disappointed by your decision. I don't suppose I can change your mind?"

Cissnei shook her head, her gaze never rising from her lap. "They were test subjects for four years." Her voice was quiet, but she spat out the words with passion. "And then to pursue them around the world and to…." She bit her lip as tears began to prickle in her eyes once again, "_Shinra's own people_. I can't…" Cissnei faltered, trying to recover what was left of her composure.

"Ok." Tseng interrupted. "I'll do what I can to keep the company off your back."

At that Cissnei looked up, but the surprise in her eyes departed as it met the resolution in Tseng's.

"Thank you." She answered, weakly.

"What will you do?"

Cissnei glanced around the room, hesitant, but Tseng smiled at her response.

"Don't worry. I check for bugs… Especially at a time like this" he added dryly.

"I don't know what I'll do." She admitted. "I'll start again. Try to find some work."

"I wish you every success." Tseng studied Cissnei with regret and concern, but his sentiment was sincere. He turned with a sigh to the papers on his desk. "You're sure you're happy to do this last job?"

Cissnei nodded. Tseng was right. If this needed to be done it would have to be she who did it. This wasn't a task Rude or Reno could take on in her absence. But she didn't understand Tseng's certainty that the Turks would be needed.

"I thought SOLDIER had been kept in the dark about Nibelheim."

Tseng smiled, "You know I've never been particularly impressed by their collective intelligence, but even I find it difficult to believe they could miss a deployment of this size." He paused, his expression serious now as he met Cissnei's gaze. "By all accounts Mr. Fair was a popular man."

Tseng stood, and took the final document from his desk. As he placed it in Cissnei's hand she noticed for the first time an exhausted resignation in his eyes.

"I understand that you will not be able to return this, but I take it on good faith that it will be disposed of securely."

"Yes sir."

Taking the document Cissnei headed for the office door.

"Cissnei" Tseng halted her as she reached for the handle. His tone was firmer now, and he didn't turn to face her. "Whatever happens do not forget that SOLDIER are a force to be reckoned with. A rebellion in their ranks would be…" He shook his head, staring at the office floor. "Well, it'd be unthinkable."

Cissnei steeled herself. "Yes sir" she answered firmly.

"Use your judgement."

"Yes sir."

Cissnei exited the room as quietly as she had entered it. Tseng's office, the Turk headquarters, and the world she had known closed behind her with a soft click.


	3. Chapter 3

Tseng shut his eyes at the barrage of abuse that ran down the phone line.

"Trust me General. I am quite aware of the losses to your troops, but today's events need to be covered up". His expression steeled, "and as I'm sure you can understand, I'm reluctant to involve SOLDIER in this matter."

More obscenities. And not entirely unexpected. But the outcome was secure. There was no way the army would risk sending SOLDIER members to disguise the death of one of their own. And as simply as that, he had his clean up team. He shut his PHS with a click. Once again, the evidence of misconduct would be erased. Company policy enforced.

Cissnei smiled when she recognised the 2nd class SOLDIER who was striding down _Loveless _Avenue. She was a good choice for this job for more reasons than one. Investigating Zack in the past she'd learnt enough about him to identify the operatives she'd have to watch out for now. She turned the corner and lingered in the shadow of the nearby building, watching solemnly as the SOLDER passed her in the street. She waited until there was just enough distance between them to maintain the trail whilst reducing the risk of detection… just as if this was any other target. Cissnei breathed deeply, braced herself and tried desperately to forget what she might have to do.

Kunsel shuddered as he made his way through Midgar. It was different from how he had left it: harsher somehow, and more distant. And then it occurred to him. Midgar hadn't changed. The lights from the theatre and nightclubs were blazing out into the dusk as their proprietors planned for their night of trade, and the street lights were beginning to warm into a glow. It was just as it had been the previous evening, and every evening before that.

It was Kunsel who had changed. All his plotting, all his scheming and organisation and secrecy, were beginning to unravel before him. For five years he'd clung to a dogged conviction that Zack would be okay, but it was slipping away from him now. Midgar had no idea. It seemed that it should be twisted, distorted somehow to reflect the disarray in Kunsel's mind. But it wasn't. Everything was clean, and precise, and ordered. That in itself was cold and unfeeling.

Kunsel awoke from his thoughts with a start at his first glimpse of the man in front of him. He'd hoped rather than expected that he'd be there. After such a large deployment on the recovery mission, he wasn't sure how many men would be left to patrol Midgar. His heart was almost rattling in his ribcage, but he gulped down his nervousness. True, his career with SOLDIER didn't span out ahead of him the way it had that morning, but the way he felt about Shinra at the moment, he could barely bother to care. Taking a moment to bite back his resentment at the military uniform, he made his way purposefully towards the Sergeant.

"Sergeant, can I speak with you for a minute." Kunsel asked, gesturing towards the upper level of the fountain area.

The Sergeant regarded Kunsel, suspicious. Still, if this was a military matter the SOLDIER was right not to discuss it in front of the public. He followed Kunsel up the stairs and through the archway to a deserted stairwell.

Kunsel turned to the infantryman, lowering his voice. "What can you tell me about the pursuit of the Nibelheim samples?"

The Sergeant's expression hardened into contempt. He knew exactly why Kunsel was asking. Zack Fair… in Shinra training he'd made a mockery of the security forces, eradicating the army's strongest troops at every opportunity. And what had he become? A fugitive lab sample. How the mighty do fall. It would have been the perfect victory… if it weren't tainted now with the blood of too many men. He turned from Kunsel in disgust

"That is not a SOLDIER assignment. It does not concern you."

Placing one hand on his shoulder, Kunsel turned the Sergeant to face him.

"It does concern me." Kunsel's voice was soft still, but firm. "One of the subjects is my friend."

The Sergeant shrugged Kunsel's hand from his shoulder. "Then you are no friend of mine. The army took heavy losses today."

_Heavy losses. _Then Zack had been found.

Kunsel placed a hand on the Sergeant's arm as he turned to walk away, a cold dread rising in his gut. He almost choked on his words.

"Was the mission a success?"

The Sergeant smirked. He had no intention of humouring SOLDIER any further. Once more, he shrugged Kunsel's hand from his arm and turned away from the stairway to return to his post.

All thoughts of restraint now forgotten, Kunsel lunged at the Sergeant. One arm was at his chest pushing him against the wall behind him, the other moved straight to his opponent's intercom. Kunsel had worked with enough Shinra infantrymen to know how to handle this one. He dropped the intercom and crushed it underfoot. Both men's thoughts turned, at once, to the rifle at the Sergeant's waist, but Kunsel snatched the weapon first. Taking the rifle in his one free hand he repeated his question.

"Was the mission a success?"

At first the Sergeant tried to struggle away from Kunsel's grasp, but then it occurred to him: he didn't need to resist. Kunsel may have been stronger, but the army had already seen to it that he could be destroyed in a single word. He met Kunsel's eyes in a cold, hard stare, and answered the SOLDIER's question with cruel relish.

"Yes. The mission was a success."

All at once, a wave of nausea swept over Kunsel. He released the Sergeant, and then managed to half walk, half stumble away from the scene. The infantryman was picking himself up now. No doubt the first thing he'd do was report the incident to his superior officers. That would give him just the triumph he was looking for: Shinra didn't take lightly to insubordination in the ranks. But none of that mattered to Kunsel any more.

Cissnei leant back against the wall, disappearing further into the shadows as the two men passed her. The first man staggered past; the second followed moments later, a steely resolution on his face.

She waited until both had made their way down the stairs towards the Sector 8 fountain before reaching silently into a large brown hold-all. She took out a folded piece of paper and opened it slowly, squinting to read in the dim light. Tseng really had outdone himself this time. The map had everything, the locations of all the security cameras in the area, the patrol routes of the infantrymen, even the identities and locations of the undercover Shinra employees that she wasn't supposed to know about. Tseng had discovered exactly where Shinra's eyes and ears operated in Midgar and the information could certainly be used to her advantage.

She consulted the plan. It showed two security cameras in the area. The first was located at the bottom of the stairwell. It was a distance away, but she wasn't going to leave without being sure. She made her way down the abandoned staircase, her eyes trained on the far wall. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Perhaps Tseng was wrong…

She shot another look at the map. If there was a camera then it should be somewhere along the wall face. Perhaps it could have been lodged in the window frame halfway up the wall, but it was too high to reach from the ground. She tested her foot against a pile of abandoned boxes at the base of the stairs. They were precarious but they would suffice as long as she was quick. She rested her weight on to them long enough to push herself up from a slight slant in the wall up to the main part of the building.

She clambered onto the window sill and felt her way across the glass pane. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary window, there was nothing suspicious or out of place, except… ah. In the corner of the window was a very faint blinking. She moved closer. This was really quite amazing. Whatever else she thought about Shinra, she couldn't belittle their technology. The camera was tiny, and completely invisible from the stairway. More importantly it was focused at the base of the stairwell. Its range couldn't have reached more than halfway up the steps, much too low to pick up the scene that she'd just witnessed. It might have been equipped with a microphone, however, so she put it in her jacket pocket just in case.

Right. Now there was just one more camera. Lowering herself from the window sill she dropped to floor level and consulted the map. The second camera was on the right hand side of the archway. She made her way back up the steps and ran her fingers along the stone. There was the blinking once again, coming this time from the eye socket of one of the statues that decorated the arch. Clever. This one was trained on the platform on the top of the stairs. It should have recorded everything that happened. She placed it swiftly with the other in her jacket pocket.

Cissnei looked quickly around the area. It seemed a secure location and now that the cameras had been disabled it was out of Shinra's radar. This was probably the safest place to make the call. She reached in her pocket for her PHS.

"Tseng. I'd like you to put in an urgent report concerning an incident I've observed in Sector 8. The SOLDIER operative I was trailing as part of my surveillance found an abandoned militia rifle. He has taken it with him to the Shinra building, presumably with the intention of returning it to a member of the infantry. I have checked the area and found a destroyed intercom near a back stairway in Sector 8." Cissnei paused for second, gathering her confidence. "…Inspection also revealed that the surveillance cameras in the area have been removed."

"…And you want me to report this to the army?"

"Yes. It seems that the rifle and intercom were lost in a scuffle with an intruder, perhaps a member of an anti-Shinra organisation. The infantryman may be in danger, and if he is not, well the general needs to be aware of the incident. The officer in question might be" she lingered for a moment, selecting her words carefully "… reluctant to admit the truth of the events, given that he appears to have failed to subdue an attacker and protect Shinra equipment." She continued, picking up momentum now. "It's quite a blunder. That equipment might have been lethal in the wrong hands… the intercom in particular."

"The intercom was destroyed."

"Even so, it seems he's failed to handle a threat to Midgar's security, failed to call for backup and failed to ensure that military equipment was removed from the scene. It's likely that he would be hesitant to admit those mistakes to superior officers."

Cissnei waited in tense silence whilst Tseng considered her request. When he finally answered, his tone was grim. "I'm sorry Cissnei. If the army were to believe an intruder was aware of the location of the security cameras, they would report an intelligence leak. The Turks would be implicated."

"I know" she answered softly. "But by that time they would be aware that you have a renegade Turk. Shinra will assume I'm the cause of the leak and have deserted because I've been found out."

"Absolutely not." Tseng replied instantly. "You're asking me to hang a noose around you neck."

"The noose is already around my neck!" Cissnei cried, for the first time allowing herself to acknowledge her fear of her own situation. "What's the saying 'The only way out of the Turks is in a body bag'? They'll want my head for this no matter what, adding a few extra charges in to the bargain isn't going to make much difference."

Tseng gave a heavy sigh. They both knew it was true.

"I'm going to assign Rude to continue your mission. You need to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible."

Cissnei shook her head. "It'll take them a while to identify possible sources of the leak and plan their course of action. I want to see this through to the end" she answered firmly.

Tseng's frown was almost audible, but he knew Cissnei well enough to recognise the strength of her resolve.

"Just don't stay there any longer than absolutely necessary" he responded, sternly.

"No sir" Cissnei answered. "And the report?"

"Just make sure you properly dispose of the cameras."

"Yes sir."


	4. Chapter 4

Kunsel barely knew where he was running to until he arrived at the SOLDIER barracks. He thrust his keycard into the console at the side of the metal door and stumbled into the room, throwing the military rifle against the corner table. Still in a haze of disbelief he fell against his bed post, but in less than a second he was up again and pacing the empty room, utterly lost.

Up until now there'd always been something he could do, some new line of investigation, another shred of information, another _something_ that could delay this moment. Reading the announcement of Zack's death had been terrible, in fact he'd thought in the past that it had felt just like being shot with one of the Wutai's poison tipped arrows; the same sharp shock of pain…. the same creeping feeling of death. But he hadn't cried. He'd schemed, and planned, and he'd certainly worried. But he didn't cry. Not once. He'd seen enough false reclassifications to have the choice whether or not to believe this one. So he chose not to. And it was his scepticism that kept him going. But he couldn't even cling on to that any more. The harsh reality of Zack's outcome had swallowed all his work, all his planning. And if he lost that what would be left? The one thing he was most afraid of. Believing Shinra. And God help him after five years he did believe them.

_Zack was dead. _

Kunsel fell to his knees, bowing his head against the floor of the barracks. And for the first time in five years tears streamed down his cheeks.

* * *

Cloud still had the faint awareness that he'd once been heading to Midgar, but it felt as if hours had passed since he'd been conscious of anything beyond the next step he was taking, and the one after that. The hills had rolled on for so long now. Too long. Any knowledge of where he was or where he had been going had disappeared along with the final streaks of daylight. And now, as the air chilled into the night, sleep had begun to weigh down heavily upon him. Everything was quieter now, and not just out in the hills. Only an hour earlier his mind had been spinning with memories – of the army, of Nibelheim, of Zack. Now when he tried to think of anything, the most he could summon from his memory was a dull ache. He was just so tired; he'd spent too long walking with too little direction. His legs were even shaking as he trudged on purposelessly through the wasteland. It was like walking through a blizzard, every movement seemed to meet with resistance. But the wind had died down long ago.

Cloud just about managed to lurch towards a hollow in the hillside as his knees buckled under him. He stretched his arms out into the dirt where he fell, and looked up at the road ahead of him. It was a long path. It couldn't hurt to rest for just a few minutes… He placed the side of his head slowly onto the scorched grass. And with a soft sigh everything faded: the cluttered haze in his mind, the throbbing in his arms and legs. Even that silent feeling of emptiness that pressed at his chest passed away eventually. Eventually. And then he lay, at last, every inch of his body in perfect stillness. Well, almost every inch - buried deep in his spine a cluster of newly implanted cells were worked on long into the night.

* * *

Cissnei frowned when she noted the expression on the SOLDIER's face as he crossed the barracks and took hold of the militia rifle. Staying low behind the window she took her PHS out of her jacket with her left hand and clutched more tightly at her shuriken with her right, hoping all the time that she wouldn't have to use either.

* * *

Kunsel took a deep breath as he looked down at the militia rifle he'd laid on the floor of the barracks. And then he began to summon the memories. He remembered lots of things. He remembered how he had felt training with Zack and the other guys in their barracks. He remembered that feeling that they could take on the world, that they would overwhelm anyone who stood in the way of Shinra and their plans to improve people's lives. And he remembered how that feeling had been slowly but surely stripped away by the company's actions: by their sanctioning of any methods that would further their own ends, by their meticulous attempts to preserve their public image, and by locking up a man who had served them for five years, as a research sample. And then, lastly, he remembered the infantryman from Sector 8. But most of all he remembered his face. That self satisfied smirk as he told Kunsel that Zack was dead. He remembered it down to the last wrinkle around the man's mouth.

Kunsel played every memory over and over in his mind, trying to get as close to it as he could, to hold its taste in his mouth. And as the hatred began to rise up inside of him, he embraced it. Hell, he clung on to it for dear life. Because this was the only revenge he was going to allow himself. It felt good. Wrapt up in all that fury and disgust things were better. It was as if his feelings salvaged some kind of justice against Shinra. Soon he'd have to step out of his resentful bubble and decide what needed to be done in the real world. But not yet.

Without even a thought to his safety or the noise he was making, Kunsel swept up the rifle from the floor and brought it crashing against the metal bed posts, the door, the floor, whatever surface he could find, until the paint was flaking and the barrel was dented and scratched. Then, finally, when his arms began to ache and his enraged adrenaline began to dwindle, he lent back against the wall, resting the back of his head against the cool metal. He calmed himself and then slowly, deliberately walked over to the rifle where it lay discarded on the floor. He picked up the weapon, his countenance perfectly neutral now, and placed it carefully under two suitcases that lay under his bed. There were others on their way back to Midgar who would want to do the same thing tomorrow.

* * *

Cissnei shut her PHS and placed it back in her jacket pocket. Relief washed over her as she finally relaxed. This was good, and not just because it seemed like there was no need for any further SOLDIER casualties. It was good because someone _knew_. Zack wasn't just another smear on Shinra's record that had been wiped away. Someone _cared_. And she didn't have to be the only one to carry the grief.


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn had barely broken when Rude and Reno headed up the stairs to Tseng's office. They paused outside the glass door and Reno risked a look at Rude. Tseng was slumped over on his desk, his head in his hands, looking down at a box on the table. But he seemed older somehow. Strands of hair were beginning to escape from what was usually a flawlessly neat pony tail, and deep lines of concern marked his forehead. Judging from Rude's worried expression he had also noticed the change in Tseng's countenance. This was not a familiar sight. Reno could do nothing but shrug and open the door to the office.

Tseng looked up with a start as if awoken unexpectedly from private thoughts.

"Gentlemen." He addressed them, gathering his composure in an instant. "Is the clean up complete?"

"Like nothin' ever happened." Reno responded.

Tseng's lips became suddenly thinner. "Right then. I've asked Cissnei to monitor SOLDIER in case of rebellion. I think that represents… the tying up of all our loose ends."

Rude looked to his superior, wondering whether he had imagined the hint of sarcasm in his voice, but already Tseng's face was expressionless, as always.

Reno, however, had noticed something completely different.

"You sent _Cissnei_ to check on SOLDIER! Sir, you do know that she…"

Tseng interrupted, knowing what was coming. "I respect Cissnei as a professional… you should too" He added, pointedly. "I have one last job for you regarding this matter." Tseng took the box from his desk. It was a clear plastic container wrapped with Shinra sealing tape. Inside was a whole stack of hand written letters. "I would like you to dispose of these securely."

"Are we not returning to sender?" asked Reno.

Tseng answered slowly, his expression grave. "I think…. given the identity of this particular sender, that that will not be necessary."

Reno took hold of the package, but Tseng stopped him as he turned to leave.

"One more thing. Until you hear otherwise from higher in the company, I want you to scale back surveillance on the Church."

Reno swung round, confused. This wasn't the company line. If anything, the President seemed to be growing more anxious for information about the Ancient.

"But sir…" He protested.

"Until you hear otherwise." Tseng answered, firmly. _They were probably the last people she would want to see…_

Reno shrugged, deciding it was better not to argue. When these letters were finished with this job would be over, and then maybe finally people would start behaving normally again. Without another word Reno and Rude headed back down the steps and out of the Turks Headquarters.

Tseng watched as Rude shut the door carefully behind him. He turned back to the computer screen and brought up a folder on the monitor. He opened it one last time. He'd collected a lot of information here over the past year. There were military reports from the Nibelheim escape last December, information on the date and location of every sighting of the research samples, and one personnel file carrying the label: Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st class.

He ran his fingers over his lips in thought, hovering the cursor over the folder with his other hand. He studied the monitor with regret, and then closing his eyes he hit the keyboard with a sharp tap. _Delete. _Another victory for the Turks. All evidence of misconduct had been erased, company policy enforced. Shinra had effectively covered their tracks. Tseng slumped back over his desk, his head in his hands. Those wisps of loose hair fell once again over his face and heavy lines of worry framed his expression.

* * *

As the first glow of the rising sun finally broke through the window of the barracks Kunsel considered rolling over and making another attempt at sleep. It had been a long night of staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. In the past six hours he must have memorised the position and direction of every spring. But it was easier than sleeping. It was funny really, he'd been so exhausted after everything that had happened yesterday, but it was that kind of exhausted weariness that somehow barred sleep.

He sat up on his bed. The room was so quiet. Shinra had seen to it that only two operatives from this barracks had remained on base yesterday. Both were younger than Kunsel, and had joined the company within the last few years. From where he sat he could make out the silhouette of one of them on the bottom bunk. He was perfectly still. From where he sat Kunsel couldn't see up to the top bunk, but there was no movement, so he assumed the other SOLDIER was sleeping soundly. Perhaps it would be a good idea to begin now. Both operatives were good men; they wouldn't stand in the way of what he wanted to do, but maybe if he acted now he could avoid some unwanted questions.

Kunsel shifted his legs out from under the covers, trying not to make any noise as he stepped down on to the metal floor. He reached under the bunk and pulled out two suitcases. No one ever looked twice at the cases, but the barracks was near enough to Kunsel's parent's house in Midgar for him to pick up anything he needed whenever he wanted it. He didn't keep much at the barracks. Just a few odds and ends and some copies of his 2nd class uniform that hung on the clothing rack across the room.

He opened up the first case, moved his civilian clothes out of the way and stared down at the contents stashed beneath them. After the announcement of Zack's death all those years ago, he'd crept into Zack's room to see what he could salvage. He'd always hoped that one day he'd give these back to Zack… it looked like he'd have to get rid of it all now. Kunsel pushed aside some of his friend's old photographs to take the two halves of a broken sword from the bottom of the case. He laid them in front of him. Kunsel had always wondered why Zack had held on to this after it'd cracked during training. But he couldn't remember Zack having another sword before this one. If this had been his first weapon it probably held a lot of memories…

Next he reached under the bed to take out another sword that lay alongside the Shinra rifle. He placed this sword next to the first. Kunsel studied both weapons. He ran his fingers along the one that was still intact, trying to remember Zack using it. He'd become a First Class holding that sword, an achievement he'd longed for for as long as Kunsel had known him. But he'd also changed a lot during that time. Kunsel remembered the last time he'd seen Zack carrying that sword, shortly before his mission to Modeoheim. Zack had never told him directly but Kunsel had always wondered whether there was unwanted blood on the sword.

He turned back to the other. When Zack had had this one he'd seemed so much younger, more confident, and more idealistic. It represented something that they had all lost a long time ago. That settled it. He put the complete sword and the tip of the broken one back where they had been under his bed, and placed the hilt of the broken sword on to his bunk.

Now he just needed to decide who he was going to tell. Common sense told him that it would be better to keep this small. The more people who were there, the greater the risk of detection, and as far as Shinra were concerned SOLDIER had considered Zack dead for five years. It would probably be best if they kept it to just the guys from the barracks and made sure that… Kunsel halted himself.

What was he thinking? This was for Zack: common sense hadn't been exactly high on Zack's list of priorities: honouring his colleagues had. Zack would have put his neck on the line for any of the guys at SOLDIER, he'd probably actually done so for a fair number of them. They deserved the right to return the favour. He'd tell everyone who'd helped him. They could decide for themselves whether they wanted to risk angering the company.

Right. Now far the hard part. He took a pen and a pad of paper from the table in the corner of the room, headed back to his bunk and tried to think of something good to say. He started slowly, lingering over each word.

_Zack was a SOLDIER member for five years. During that time he worked with many of the people here, and went on various assignments across Gaia. He…_

Kunsel set down his pen and pulled the page from the pad, screwing it up. That sounded like a military report. This had to come from the heart. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes, trying to imagine Zack in front of him. What would he say if he had one more chance...? This time the words simply flowed from the nib on to the clean sheet of paper.

_Zack. You know I always thought a lot of Angeal. __Most of us did. He had a way of helping us to remember what was important. He challenged us to stay true to the things we were fighting for. He wasn't just a phenomenal SOLDIER, he was also an inspiration. I know after you took up his sword you worried a lot about living up to that. Well, I think you did. But not just that. You weren't just another Angeal. I think we noticed it most after you were gone. There was no one to saunter into the middle of the crisis and tell us all with a huge grin that it was going to be fine, there was no one to nag us to come and train with him at nine o'clock at night when we were all exhausted. Hell, there was no one to come running to ask me to help him find his materia two minutes before his assignment, and I even missed that. You were a good SOLDIER, and you were a great friend. I hope you knew that. You will be missed._

By the time Kunsel had finished writing he felt as if his insides were coiled into a tight knot. He lay back on to the bed. There was no way he could read that out in front of the other guys and keep his composure. He needed something in between the two. Sighing, he sat up to try again.

_Zack Fair was…_

_Zack had always…_

_Zack…_

Once again Kunsel tore away the top sheet of paper and left it crumpled beside him on the bed.

* * *

Ten minutes of rest had turned into ten hours before Cloud was finally awoken by the sun beating down on to his neck. He turned groggily onto his back and blinked into the sunlight. A sharp breeze whipped against his face. He sat up with a jolt as he realised he was outside. How did he get here? He looked around him confused, but when no answer came he slumped back against the ground, when he woke up a bit more his memory would kick in. He might as well just lie and wait for it to happen.

A few moments passed. And then a few more. Cloud sat up again on the grass, slowly this time. Why couldn't he remember how he'd come to be sleeping out in the hills? Resting on his arms stretched out behind him, he stared into his lap and made a real effort to remember what had happened the night before. Nothing occurred to him. He frowned, trying harder now to think of the past night… or day… or morning, anything that he could use to trigger a memory of where he was. Still nothing. A desperate fear was beginning to rise in Cloud's chest. _There must be something wrong. _No matter how far back he tried to remember, the past simply yawned out into emptiness behind him.

Beads of sweat began to form on Cloud's forehead. _Why could he not remember!? _He ran up on to the crest of the hill, looking desperately around him for some clue as to why he was there. The landscape was bare and barren. Cloud shuddered to look at it. The blankness of it all was too harsh, too bright. It was like seeing into his own mind.

Cloud whipped around. To his right, in the near distance, Midgar loomed ominously over the landscape. Midgar! Cloud remembered Midgar! He dropped to his knees on the dry grass, running his fingers through his hair. He could get out of this. There were fragments in amongst all that emptiness; he just had to draw them out. He'd have to start at the beginning. His name. He knew his name. Cloud Strife. He forced himself to play it over in his mind.

_My name is Cloud Strife._

It helped a little, gave him a little grounding in his stormy panic.

He sat down onto the grass concentrating hard. Time for something else… He caught sight of his belt as he gazed downward. He recognised that uniform. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to conjure up a memory of it… SOLDIER. This was a SOLDIER uniform. SOLDIER First Class. Good. That was something else.

_My name is Cloud, SOLDIER, First Class._

His panic quieted a little at that. He was a First Class SOLDIER; he would have survived more difficult situations than this in the past. It was just a case of keeping calm and working his way through it. SOLDIER, First Class. The very words awakened a slumbering feeling in his gut. A longing. It was a strange reaction. Perhaps he was remembering a feeling from long ago. Perhaps he'd longed to be in SOLDIER as a child. He shrugged off the sensation. There were more recent memories to work from.

He lay back against the hard ground, clutching spikes of hair in his fists. He still needed more. He was in SOLDIER; had he been on assignment? Had someone done this to him? He thought hard, trying to remember his last mission… Cloud's eyes snapped open in shock. He remembered. A whole host of images surged through his mind. Sephiroth… Nibelheim in flames… He felt again the cold steel of Sephiroth's blade as it sliced into his torso, and last of all, he heard his own voice as it broke into his conscious.

_"I'm going to be a mercenary no matter what!"_

He sat up, resent boiling inside him. Sephiroth. The man he'd admired above all others. He'd fought alongside him, he'd accompanied him to Nibelheim and, in full knowledge that it was Cloud's hometown; he had burnt it to the ground.

"No!"

Cloud pounded his fists against the hard soil. He'd been so betrayed by someone he'd trusted so much. Everyone in Nibelheim was dead. His mother's house was burnt to the ground; Tifa had been left dying on the reactor floor. All because of Sephiroth. Cloud's stomach turned in disgust. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He understood now why he'd chosen to leave the company. If Sephiroth could turn so violently against him, anyone could.

Cloud stood up slowly and deliberately. He would do what he had set out to do. He would start out again as a mercenary. And from now on he would trust nothing and nobody. His disparate memories still hung only tentatively together, but if anything else he could uncover was at all like what he had remembered today, he didn't want to see it. No doubt it would be back to haunt him in time.

Cloud made his way to the bottom of the hill, where his sword was still laying on the ground where he had slept. He lifted it from the grass, slung it on his back and set out to finish the journey that he had started the day before. Only this time his steps were firm and purposeful.

* * *

Tomas Dalby and Fenton Carter stopped abruptly as they entered the SOLDIER canteen on the 47th floor. It was lunchtime, and the room would, therefore, usually be awash with purple and blue uniforms. Today, however, SOLDIERs spotted rather than flooded the canteen and the area had taken on a decidedly light blue hue.

It had been a strange day all round. They had woken up to find Kunsel Jung, usually the only man in their barracks who had no trouble in writing, sat on his bunk surrounded by screwed up paper and the broken hilt of a sword. When asked what he was doing, he had simply muttered something about a project and scooped up the paper from his bed. Strangely though, instead of reaching for the bin, which was only a few feet away, he had stashed the paper into a bag and taken it with him.

Perhaps that was not so strange. Kunsel had always been a little odd, asking unusual questions about their assignments, taking colleagues away for private conversations. But it hadn't stopped there. Several times this morning they had passed huddles of SOLDIERs talking quietly in the corridors, only for them to fall silent as they saw Tomas and Fenton approach. And now the canteen, which ought to be thronging at this hour, was strangely quiet.

Fenton looked around him, confused. "Do you think this is all some kind of prank?"

Tomas shook his head. "No. There wouldn't be this many people missing. It'd have to be some joke for them to put in this much organisation. This _is _weird though… There's not a whole lot of 2nd classes. Do you think there's some sort of training we didn't know about?"

"Not unless they missed it too" replied Fenton, indicating another group of four 2nd classes sat by the window. He made his way towards the counter to get his lunch.

"You know what I think?" Tomas began, grabbing a sandwich. "I think something's happened."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Well, think about it. Yesterday they sent off everyone but us from our barracks, now today it looks like almost all the 2nds are out. Could be Avalanche or something…"

Fenton snorted as he made his way over to a table. "Well if it is then Shinra's pretty much played into their hands."

"What do you mean?"

"Well look who've they've sent!" Noticing Tomas' blank expression he waved his sandwich in the direction of the other 2nds. "I know those guys. They joined at about the same time as us. It's all the experienced people they've sent away. Talk about leaving ourselves open for an attack. If they wanted to create a distraction, they've certainly succeeded."

Tomas shuddered. "Maybe we should get equipped before we eat…"

* * *

Kunsel shifted uncomfortably as the numbers of men gathered in his parent's patio began to increase. A lot of people had decided to come. Mostly 2nd classes, but a few 3rds. In fact, it looked like almost everyone who had served in SOLDIER at the same time as Zack was squeezing into the small yard. It was a real tribute to Zack and the inspiration he was to the people who worked with him. But it was also going to make things even more difficult….

Kunsel looked up with a start as he noticed a familiar face amongst the growing crowd. Darrin Hale. Their barracks in third class had been divided between new recruits and seasoned 3rd classes. Of the rookies Darrin had been the eldest and had made it his business to show the others the ropes. He had even requested that Zack and Kunsel be placed in his 2nd class barracks when they had been promoted a few months after him. He seemed subdued now, understandably so, but he smiled when he saw Kunsel approach.

"You made it!" observed Kunsel, returning the smile.

"Yeah. I kinda fudged the reactor inspection, but not so anyone'd notice." He studied Kunsel. "You look tired."

"Didn't sleep all that well."

"I'm hearing that!" It was true; Darrin's eyes were framed by the same dark circles that bordered Kunsel's. "

Is that Zack's?" He asked, glancing at the hilt in Kunsel's hand.

Kunsel simply nodded.

"You chose a broken one?"

"It was the one Zack had when he was a 2nd class… I'll explain later."

"No, no. I get it." Darrin answered quickly. "Better times."

A sudden weariness crept into both men's expression as they regarded one another. This was the closest they had come to acknowledging the doubts that had gradually worn away at their pride in SOLDIER. The misgivings that had begun as a whisper were clamouring now. They were Shinra elite. That's what Shinra had said. What they did told quite a different story. They were not elite. They were expendable. Before too long they would all have to make some stark choices about who they were fighting for. Now, though, there were other things to think about.

"Darrin" Kunsel started. "I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do this. These guys are gonna want me to say something and I don't have a clue. I tried to write something, but nothing felt right, you know?" He laughed humourlessly as he looked around the crowd that had gathered. "If those guys were coming at me with knives I'd know what to do. This kind of thing, I'm not cut out for."

Darrin raised an eyebrow "You really think Zack'd have something poignant to say if your positions were reversed?"

Kunsel was silent, his gaze firmly fixed on the stone floor.

"Come on man" Darrin continued. "You've shared a room with him while he's tried to write a military report."

Kunsel laughed, a genuine laugh this time, as he remembered Zack sat at the desk in their quarters, staring helplessly at blank sheets of paper. If Zack had have been in Kunsel's position the screwed up paper on his bed would have filled the whole barracks. How, then, had he always managed to do justice to those who had fallen? He had barely known Sebastian and Essai, but when he'd delivered the news of their deaths, even their closest friends felt he had given them a fitting tribute.

And suddenly, it stuck him. The thing he had almost forgotten, and Zack had known all along. This wasn't about the expectations of the gathering crowd, this was about what had to be done, about the reason he had arranged this in the first place. He looked to Derrin, his eyes filled with an excited realisation. Derrin simply smiled and placed a hand on Kunsel's shoulder.

"I'm right behind you buddy."

With that Kunsel swiftly called the troops to attention, and told them what he felt needed to be said.

"You guys are probably expecting me to say something moving, and I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. That's not why we're here. We're here because, whatever Shinra would have you believe, someone we know was killed yesterday and, well, a good man's death shouldn't go unnoticed. Our tribute to him isn't the fact that we have the perfect words to say about it. It's the fact that we're here, all of us, even if it puts our careers in jeopardy, because we want to acknowledge that Zack lived, and that he died, and that he will be missed. You all served alongside him. Its better that you remember him as _you_ knew him, not from any story that I could tell. It's more genuine that way. What I'm trying to tell you is that this isn't something I'm going to be leading; it's something we're going to do together. So I only have one thing to say…"

A stream of memories began to course through his mind. Zack's first day at SOLDIER, and his wide eyed awe of technology he'd never seen before, his frantic last minute searches for equipment for missions, his obstinate refusal to allow any of his friends from 2nd class to call him "sir"… Kunsel raised Zack's broken sword high above his head.

"Zack Fair." He announced, proudly.

A host of swords raised all around him.

"Zack Fair."

* * *

Laid prostrate on the roof of the local house, Cissnei bowed her head and mouthed the words along with the troops from SOLDIER,

"Zack Fair."

The feeling that had begun to settle at her core was a surprising one. She would have expected to cry, to grit her teeth at the injustice of it all, but the sensation spreading through her body was a warm one. Zack was being remembered. Everything was reaching its conclusion. And that meant she could forget the life she left behind her with no regrets.

Keeping low, Cissnei climbed higher on to the peak of the roof. She would have to stay out of sight of the inhabitants of course, and of the SOLDIERs who had gathered below her. But this was private property. And much as she'd have to be careful of detection, she'd prefer it to leaving Tseng to explain away the removal of another security camera. So she took out her PHS, speaking softly into the receiver.

"I have a mission report, Sir. I assume I can give it over the phone?"

"I think it'd be wise in this situation" Tseng answered. "I can type it up for you."

"SOLDIER has done what it needed to do. I wouldn't stop watching the monitors, but I don't think a rebellion is very likely."

Tseng knew what this meant. There was a pause at the end of the line.

"Good luck Cissnei."

Even down the phone line, Tseng's words carried a comforting sincerity.

"Thank you Sir."

"Tseng."

"Thank you, Tseng."

Cissnei froze, for the briefest of moments, she was lost. From the earliest she could remember she had been a part of Shinra, her next move would be her first outside of the protection of the company.

Slowly, she shut the PHS in her hand, and placed it in her jacket pocket . She removed her jacket one arm at a time, folded it carefully and put it in her brown holdall. She removed a long skirt from the bag and pulled it on over her black trousers. Silently she climbed down from the roof of the house and disappeared into the crowd in Sector 7.

* * *

Somewhere completely different a young man was sitting, watching silently from his high vantage point over the city. Lines of concern were marking deep grooves around his eyes and his forehead was creased into an uncharacteristic frown.

"It wasn't meant to be a burden" He muttered, his tone heavy with regret.

"I said that myself once."

The younger man turned, smiling at the sight of his companion.

"Yeah? How'd that work out for you?"

The elder of the two was silent for a moment, and he moved to sit beside his friend.

"Legacy is always a burden. Especially when you care for the one for whom you take up the fight." He studied the younger man. "Do you remember?"

A wistful look crossed the first man's expression. "I do" he answered softly.

"Legacy is difficult, it's true" the second man continued, "but I've stood by and watched as it's made heroes out of men."

The younger man met his friend's gaze as he played the words over again in his head.

"_It's made heroes out of men."_

There was a resounding peace behind those words, a sense of completion. Perhaps this was a feeling another man could share… in time. It was a quiet presence in the rage of his worries. It would have almost been enough. An opportunity to rest... if it wasn't for….

The young man made a determined effort to hold himself steady. It had taken a while to get used to remembering in this place, to drawing out his own thoughts from the stream of consciousness that surrounded him. Now, after a few months had past, he felt he had adjusted, but maybe he was misunderstanding this. He looked back over the scene below. A train was rattling into the Sector 7 station.

The sight was unmistakable. This wasn't confusion on his own part, something, or someone, jarred out of the landscape, as if it had been thrown out of its place in space and time.

"This… it's not right is it?" the first man asked of his companion.

The older man considered carefully before answering the question. It was true; things certainly hadn't gone as expected. But, then, nor had they that time in the past. Inheritance was more difficult than he had known, but he believed more than anyone that it could bring out a strength in someone that no-one realised had existed.

In the end he simply placed a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"Keep watching" he said softly. "Maybe you'll be surprised…"

_Fin_


End file.
